


The Eight-Pointed Star

by NimlothTheFair



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Analysis, Epic Poetry, Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Internal Monologue, Oath of Fëanor, Poetry, Sad, musings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29441076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NimlothTheFair/pseuds/NimlothTheFair
Summary: What goes thorough the heads of the Sons of Fëanor in the most fateful moments of their lives?***Eight ballads centered around Fëanor and his sons: from the proud beginning to the bitter end. Each poem offers a glimpse into the mind of one of the Oathbound, as one by one they approach their Doom.
Relationships: Fëanor | Curufinwë & Sons of Fëanor
Comments: 12
Kudos: 5





	1. Fëanor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tirion, 1495 Y.T.  
> Fëanor gives his (in)famous speech to the Noldor

Why, O people of the Noldor,  
Should we stay here one more day,  
If the Powers have betrayed us,  
Letting our Foe have his way?

Pay you no heed to the Mighty—  
To your pleas their hearts are cold;  
Pay you no heed to the Rulers  
Who would see you all enthralled.

Let their worshippers appease them,  
Let the meek and fearful weep,  
But we shall no longer stay here  
And disturb their idle sleep:

Let them ever stay entombed here,  
With this darkness as their shroud!  
We know now they have no mercy  
For the ones they deem to proud.

We shall not waste time for mourning  
While the Powers sit and stare!  
We shall go to lands beyond here,  
Do what they would never dare!

We shall go to joy through hardship;  
Mark my words—to you I say:  
West to East unnumbered voices  
Shall be singing of this day.

For the King we shall have vengeance,  
I shall take back what is mine;  
All my darkest Foes shall tremble  
When they see my banners fly. 

Not a star, cold and uncaring,  
Not a candle swiftly blown,  
But a fire I shall spark there,  
A true fire of my own.

Neither law, nor love, nor danger  
Shall defend them from the flame:  
Whether cursing me or praising,  
Their last breath shall be my name.

They may try to reason with me,  
But they cannot quench my wrath:  
There can be no law restraining   
A wildfire in its path.

They may plead and they may beg me,  
But their words shall be in vain:  
For a flame burns all who touch it  
And no love may ease the pain.

They may threaten me with darkness,  
But no threats shall stop my might:  
For a fire fears no danger  
And in darkness it sparks light. 

As the hawk must prey on rodents,  
As the ocean tides must turn,  
Thus the cravens have to wither  
And the fire has to burn. 

Should I fall then—nay, no fire  
Ever destined is to fall;   
It may only lose its fuel  
Burning swiftly through it all—

Should I meet my end—no ere than  
I have won, and slain, and crushed,  
To the ground burnt all their forces  
And left nothing there but ash—

Go, my Children, and avenge me,  
For not lightly you have sworn.  
Neither love nor doom can save them  
From the Seven Fireborn.


	2. Amrod

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Losgar, first night upon the Hither Shore

Startled, I awake in terror,  
My face flushed, my throat all sore.  
Why is everything so red now?  
What a clamour on the shore!

Seven silhouettes on the sea strand  
In a frame of smoke and flame:  
I can hear my brothers' voices,  
Ambarussa calls my name;

I reach out—my hand meets nothing;  
Air is heavy in my lungs.  
Oh, how scorching is its flavour  
And how bitter on my tongue!

Flames are dancing on the rigging,   
Sails are painted gold and red.  
Water rises all around me,  
Fire climbs towards my bed;

Mother, help me!—what to do now?  
Why? I do not understand!  
This is not what Father promised,  
This is not how it should end!

Was I such a fool to follow  
One who kindles with such ease,  
Or a coward to regret it  
After crossing the wide seas?

Oh, but it all went so horrid  
And so cruel from the start!  
You would understand me, Mother,  
I abhorred it in my heart;

And he knew—oh, he saw through me,  
And he knew that I was weak.  
Perhaps it is all my fault then,  
Fool and craven, dumb and meek!

You had warned me—oh, sweet Mother,  
And now finally I can see  
That a world of wars and powers  
Is no place for one like me.

I retreat into a corner,  
As the deck begins to crack.  
Sea or fire—both will kill me,  
There is no way to turn back.

I am trapped here, dear Mother,  
With no chance of breaking free:  
In between the raging Fire  
And the unforgiving Sea.

I have no way to escape now,  
So I sit and think of you.  
I wish I could see you, Mother,  
After all of this is through.


	3. Celegorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doriath, on the way to Menegroth, moments before the Second Kinslaying

Oh, to ride again through forest  
And to hear the horn's bright sound,  
With my trusted steed beneath me,  
By my side—my faithful hound!

Nay—I suddenly remember—  
One of these is now long-lost.  
I quite miss your eager barking  
And the swiftness of your paws,

Yet you did not prove quite useful,  
Not so faithful, after all.  
Still you taught me, dear Huan:  
Trust can only make you fall.

And why would I trust in someone  
If I know how to betray?  
I had no remorse for my deeds;  
Reasonably, why should they?

They are liars, traitors, killers,  
They are liars, traitors, thieves;  
If they stole what should be ours,  
See if any of them lives!

Trunks and branches fade behind me,  
As I pass them with great speed.  
I can see my brothers' banners;  
It is well they all agreed.

Yet again my thoughts escape me,  
For I find it hard to see:  
I was a good master, Huan;  
Why did you abandon me?

For the years of care and friendship,  
I heard not a word from you.  
Did you pity so the elf-maid,  
Or did you despise me, too?

Perhaps you had heard some cowards  
Whisper of my fearsome fame.  
'The kinslayers', they all call us,  
Spitting as they say my name.

How it angered me at first then!  
Now I see it clear as day:  
None of them are saintly either,  
And I care not what they say.

Leave the talking to old women,  
Cease the parleys and attack!  
I wish you could see it, Huan,  
When I win the treasure back.

We approach their rocky fortress,  
I examine the terrain.  
By tomorrow we shall wash it  
With the blood of soldiers slain.

I can see the guards now clearly.  
This is our chance to win.  
My hand firmly grasps the hilt now,  
Blood runs hot beneath my skin,

Quickly we cut through the guards now  
And I smile as we move on.  
What an easy hunt, these Sindar.  
We'll be done with this by dawn.


	4. Caranthir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Treasury of Menegroth, during the Second Kinslaying

Hail, King Greycloak! I am worried  
I have found you not at home.  
Now forgive me, I must rob you  
Of one small thing that you own.

All the treasures of Menegroth  
Gathered here in this one place:  
And they dare to call _me_ greedy,  
And they deem it a disgrace!

Dwarven gold and Elven jewels,  
Radiant gems from north and south:  
All in which you had delighted  
Turned to ashes in your mouth.

All of it could not protect you,  
Or your precious mortal heir.  
Where on Arda did he hide _it_?  
I saw well—his neck was bare.

Red with his blood and my brother's,  
He fell dead in the assault,  
But he did not have _it_ with him,  
So it must be in the vault.

We would have no need to slay him,  
And my brother would still live,  
If he only had returned it.  
What a proud, self-righteous thief!

Did it vanish? It must be here,  
But I seek and I find naught.  
Curse this jewel ever-stolen,  
Ever-lost and ever-sought!

All these chests of wood and iron  
MIght as well have naught in store!  
It escaped me, mighty Dark Elf,  
As it fled from you before.

Desperately I keep on searching  
With the strange hope of a fool.  
All this madness might be ended  
Should I only find this jewel!

I look up—the guards have found me,  
Their swords sharp, their helmets high.  
Walls are closing in around me—  
It is here that I must die.

All the gold in Elven kingdoms,  
All the gems in Dwarven halls  
Could not buy you what you wanted,  
Could not let us save our souls.

All the blood and all the anger—  
Shall it always be in vain?  
For we sold our lives for vengeance,  
And we only found more pain.

And it pains to die here, knowing  
That I almost could have won!  
All the blood and gold and jewels  
Could not free me from this One.


	5. Curufin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Menegroth, after the Second Kinslaying

Tell me, Tyelpë, do you think still  
Of your father in these days,  
As he lies on this cold marble  
And through blood he sees your face?

As I lie and try to focus   
On each wound that hurts and bleeds,  
I can still see your face frowning   
And condemning my misdeeds.

And you said, "I have no father!",  
I then thought, "I have no son!",  
But a bond of blood and greatness   
Cannot ever be undone.

Great indeed was our purpose,   
Greater still is our demise;  
For a flame burns all it touches,  
But when naught remains—it dies.

Yet your fire is still burning,  
Though you shun it in despair,  
But the name you so despise now  
Shall be always yours to bear:

In the gems you shall be shaping,  
In your crafts so finely wrought,  
You shall always see, my Tyelpë,  
That without me—you are naught.

All you are and ever shall be,  
All your knowledge and your skill  
Is an heirloom of your bloodline:  
Those who lie, betray and kill.

And your heart is pure and simple,  
So this name you still abhor;  
But there is no use denying  
Truths that you cannot ignore.

There is greatness in you, Tyelpë,  
One that you cannot erase;  
And in greatness, there is glory,  
And in equal part—disgrace.

I could not surpass my Father,  
Though I followed as I could,  
But at least one thing, I reckon,  
Better I have understood:

Do not follow what shines brightly,  
Trust no friend, forget no foe.  
Watch them, Tyelpë, and remember:  
Think before you reap or sow.

Do not let your heart betray you,  
Use your mind and use your eyes;  
Play your role to see through their acts,  
Learn to lie to see their lies.

May your works all be remembered,  
As years pass among the Elves;  
May they bring you better fortune  
Than we brought upon ourselves;

May you live and learn, my Tyelpë,  
And not die as I'll have died:  
For some foolish little trinkets  
And a childish sense of pride.


	6. Amras

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Havens of Sirion, after the Third Kinslaying

As I clutch my bleeding stomach,  
I am learning far too late:  
What was not lost in the fire  
May still die upon the blade.

Memories flick before my eyes now  
From a distant age bygone:  
Father standing on a cliff face,  
Watching flames burn on and on.

Perhaps I should have gone with you  
On that dreadful distant night,  
And died with you, dearest Brother,  
In a blaze of fiery light.

How we wept that night, despairing,  
That you perished by ill fate!  
We were hardly more than boys then,  
You must have been so afraid!

Do you know how loathsome to me  
Was a mirror in those days,  
When it only showed a ghostly  
Image of my brother's face?

Yet my life still did not wither,  
And a bitter fruit it bore.  
Oh, how happy are the martyrs  
Who die young and sin no more!

Many springs have come and faded,  
Many wars have been declared;  
I saw more deaths than I wished for,  
Yet I still die unprepared.

I tried, Brother, but I failed you,  
And I followed Father's track,  
But too far I sailed in misdeeds  
And I burnt the bridges back.

Many days I missed you, Brother,  
Wishing that you were not dead,  
Only to wish moments later  
That we both had died instead.

You found your grave in the ocean;  
Will I have mine in the earth?  
Oh, we should have died together,  
Joined in death as joined in birth!

We were not meant to be sundered,  
Never meant to be apart—  
But it went so wrong and horrid,  
And so cruel from the start!

And you knew that, dearest Brother,  
And you fled while you still could.  
I have overstayed my welcome,  
Now I leave at last for good.

I can hardly breathe now, Brother,  
And the night is falling fast.  
Wait for me wherever you are;  
I will see you soon at last.


	7. Maedhros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the War of Wrath, having reclaimed the Silmaril

Truthfully you said, my Father,  
That not lightly we have sworn.  
Now, behold your faithful scion:  
Eldest of the Fireborn.

We have sworn the Oath solemnly  
And you see it now fulfilled...  
Would you ever think, O Father,  
Just how many I have killed?

Would you ever think how many  
Found their death upon my knife?  
That you killed more after dying  
Than you did in your whole life?

I have slain uncounted people—  
Innocent or otherwise—  
Tears unnumbered on the altar  
Of this bloody sacrifice.

I forsook all law and reason,  
Dread and danger I withstood;  
I have stopped at nothing, Father,  
Though I often wished I could.

Have I failed you still, my Father?  
I had done so much in vain,  
I could not protect my brothers,  
I could not revive the slain;

Yet I knew I could not stop now,  
With the Oath yet unfulfilled.  
Would they all have died for nothing,  
If I cower now and yield?

I could not turn back now, Father,  
And go on my merry way,  
If my brothers killed and perished  
Just so I may see this day.

Do you hold my vow fulfilled now?  
Would you call me now your kin?  
Am I worthy of your Fire  
Now that fire eats my skin?

With my hand so burnt and bloody,  
How I wish I'd lost them both!  
How I wish I had it in me  
To forswear this bloody Oath!

How I wish I could have saved us  
And all those whose blood we shed!  
I have seen their fearful faces,  
I have held them as they bled,

I have dealt them death and danger,  
I have been defiled and maimed,  
I have lead us all to ruin—  
Is there more I should have claimed?

Does that even matter to you  
More than your own lofty goals?  
You would stop at nothing, Father,  
 _So you sold our very souls_.

Doom me now to deepest darkness,  
Or absolve me if you will.  
You can grant me no forgiveness.  
You can _ruin, burn,_ and _kill_.

As I let the flames engulf me,  
One thing I can understand:  
I care not now for salvation.  
I just wish for this to end.


	8. Maglor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the War of Wrath

High the waves rise on the ocean,  
As they crash into the bay.  
I have washed my hands in water—  
Bloodstained ever they shall stay.

Far beyond the west horizon,  
You, perhaps, are waiting still  
For the seven faithless children  
Who had left in their own will.

Standing bitter, cold and lonely  
On this precipice of stone,  
Now I wonder: did you feel thus  
When we left you all alone?

Do not blame yourself, O Mother,  
That you could not stop our flight.  
Not a single soul in Arda   
Might have quenched a flame so bright.

Neither law, nor love, nor danger  
Could have stopped us in our track,  
(Though love was of them the strongest,  
And to you I'd fain go back).

Yet as moths we had escaped you,  
And as moths—we had to burn.  
Please forgive me, dearest Mother,  
That your sons shall not return. 

Do not ask me, dear Mother,  
Of the things that here befell.  
I cannot yet speak about it,  
If I could—I would not tell. 

There can be no song so cruel  
And no melody so drear  
To describe our sins and misery,  
Let alone—if you should hear.

Who would soil a mother's memories  
Of her lost beloved son?  
You would cry your eyes out, Mother,  
If you learnt what we had done.

It is best you shall not hear me,  
Though I'd love to see your face,  
But you would not bear the torment,  
I would not bear the disgrace.

A great abyss lies between us,  
Deeper than the stormy sea.  
Would you, too, despise me, Mother,  
Knowing what became of me?

Waves are singing right beneath me,  
Sweet and tempting is their call!  
How entrancing are their whispers,   
Cool as ointment on my soul!

It would take one leap to end this,  
To forget my sins, my name,  
But I owe it to the fallen:  
I must live to bear the shame.

Last one left to keep the memory,  
One last witness to our fall,  
One last soul who loved my brothers  
And still loves them, after all.

Oh, to turn back time and memory!  
To revive what has been lost!  
But I am doomed to remember  
And to bear the memory's cost.

How I wished to be forgiven,  
Welcomed back amongst the Elves!  
But the Powers have no mercy  
For the ones who doomed themselves;

And the Elves will ever see me  
As a slayer of my kin.  
Thus, perhaps, it is a blessing  
I can wander here unseen:

A grey mist, a soul tormented,  
Drifting shadow on the coast,  
In this wretched land forgotten,  
An unquiet, aimless ghost.

How the waves crash on the shoreline,  
How they drown out all the sound!  
Mother, we must stay alone now,  
Lost and never to be found.

Through winds howling, through sun scorching,  
Through white snow and bitter rain  
We shall go, and fade to nothing.  
_Only our songs remain_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, you're a legend if you got this far and I am already thankful to you. I appreciate all sorts of feedback, but please be gentle, as English is not my first language :)  
> ***  
> (The title is a nod to The Seven-Pointed Star, a sacred text from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire).  
> ***  
> Enormous 'thank you' to my favourite Redditor, without whose invaluable support, insightful comments and kindest, loveliest words, these poems would have never seen the light of day. Hannon le, mellon nin. Merci.


End file.
